Susan Wengraf Councilmember District 6 CONSENT CALENDAR December 1, 2015

To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council From: Councilmember Susan Wengraf Subject: Support of the “Safety for All” Ballot Initiative, A Series of Gun Reform Measures Initiated by Lieutenant Governor

RECOMMENDATION Adopt a Resolution supporting the “Safety for All” ballot initiative. Direct staff to send copies of the resolution to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Loni Hancock, California Assemblymember Tony Thurmond.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS None

BACKGROUND California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom announced a 2016 ballot initiative that would enact stricter gun laws in California. If approved, the package of commonsense gun reforms known as the “Safety for All” Initiative, would require instant background checks for purchases of , strengthen background checks for gun purchases, prohibit possession of large detachable military-style magazines, and require individuals convicted of serious and violent crimes to immediately surrender of in their possession.

Lieutenant Governor Newsom has partnered with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to draft the initiative with the following provisions:

1. Prohibit Possession of Large-Capacity Military-Style Magazines: The Safety for All Initiative will outlaw possession of large-capacity magazines of 11 rounds or more and provides for their legal disposal. If passed, California would join , New Jersey, Hawaii and the District of Columbia in banning possession of these military-style clips.

2. Treats Ammunition Sales Like Gun Sales: The Initiative requires licensing of ammunition vendors and point-of-sale background checks for ammunition purchases. Under the initiative, if a person is convicted of a felony, a violent misdemeanor, has a restraining order or has been declared dangerously

2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704 ● Tel: (510) 981-7160 ● TDD: (510) 981-6903 ● Fax: (510) 981-7166 E-Mail: [email protected] In Support of the “Safety for All” Ballot Initiative, A Series of Gun Reform CONSENT CALENDAR Measures Initiated by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom December 1, 2015

mentally ill, they will no longer be able to buy ammunition in California. California would be the first state to require background check at point of sale.

3. Ensures People Prohibited from Owning Guns Do Not Possess Them: The Initiative prescribes a clear firearms relinquishment process for those convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor.

4. Requires Reporting Lost or Stolen Guns: The Initiative requires owners to notify law enforcement if their firearm has been lost or stolen. If the Safety for All initiative is approved, California would join 11 other states and the City of Sacramento in requiring lost and/or stolen firearm reporting.

5. Shares with Federal System on Prohibited People: The Initiative mandates that California share data with the FBI/NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System).

More than 32,000 deaths occur each year in the United States due to gun violence. There have been 150 school shootings since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary took place in December 2012. Estimates show that between 1982 and 2014 as many as 78 mass shooting occurred in the United States, and in the vast majority of these instances, the guns used were obtained legally. The Safety for All Initiative is intended to make it more difficult for dangerous people to get guns and ammunition legally in California.

California has been a leader in the nation in advocating sensible gun laws that are intended to save lives and improve public safety. The City of Berkeley has supported restricted access to firearms and ammunition and advocated for strengthening existing federal and state gun control laws.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY NA

CONTACT PERSON Councilmember Susan Wengraf Council District 6 510-981-7160

Attachments: 1: Resolution

Ballot Initiative: https://www.oag.ca.gov/system/files/initiatives/pdfs/15-0098%20%28Firearms%29.pdf?

Page 2

RESOLUTION NO. ##,###-N.S.

IN SUPPORT OF THE “SAFETY FOR ALL” INITIATIVE

WHEREAS, Californian Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom announced a 2016 ballot measure known as the “Safety for All“ initiative, which is a package of commonsense gun reforms; and

WHEREAS, the “Safety for All” initiative outlaws possession of large-capacity magazines of 11 rounds or more and provides for their legal disposal; and

WHEREAS, the initiative requires licensing of ammunition vendors and point-of-sale background checks for ammunition purchases; and

WHEREAS, the initiative defines a clear firearms relinquishment process for those convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor; and

WHEREAS, the initiative requires firearm owners to notify law enforcement if their firearm has been lost or stolen; and’

WHEREAS, the initiative mandates that California share data with the FBI/NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System); and

WHEREAS, more than 32,000 deaths occur each year in the United States due to gun violence and there have been 150 school shootings since the incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012; and

WHEREAS, California has been a leader in the nation in adopting gun laws that are intended to save lives and increase public safety; and

WHEREAS, the City of Berkeley has an extensive history of supporting state and federal legislation in support of gun control and has been on the forefront of passing gun control regulations.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Berkeley that it hereby supports the “Safety for All” Initiative.